The crowd was merciless in their comments, and the chili sauce Song Xiaohong made was really too unpalatable. Not to mention that it was not as good as the one sold by Qian's mother, even if someone with average cooking skills made it at home, it would taste better than hers.

Chili sauce is not a rare thing, and not many of them are sold in supply and marketing cooperatives. If Qianmu’s chili sauce was not so good, there would not be so many people supporting it.

Song Xiaohong was angry about why Qianmu could make money. Why didn't she look at the many food vendors on the street? Which one could attract so many people to line up like Qianmu?

Qian Qing looked down at Song Xiaohong who was already speechless and said, "What else do you want to say now? From your expression, I know that this is not the first or second time that you have used my mother's name to sell chili sauce. You have to give us an explanation for this matter, or I will go to Director Chen Yan of the General Management Department and ask him what the punishment is for selling fake goods at the night market stall in our oil field!"

The customer who was buying glasses next to him was also angry: "Hey, I still have my 100 yuan! You took my deposit and sold me fake goods. I'm going to write a letter to your factory leader!"

Song Xiaohong looked up at Qian Qing in disbelief. Is this person a devil?! She has already ruined her reputation! And she still wants to ask me for an explanation! She sold fake goods by using Qian's mother's reputation, but what did Qian's mother lose? Why is she so persistent and unwilling to let me go!

Qian Qing said calmly, "You don't think that you can just return these 100 bottles of chili sauce and be done with it, do you? You used my mother's name to sell fake goods, and we have to clean up the mess for you."

This was something Qian Qing had just decided. Regardless of what Qian's mother planned, Qian Qing was going to register the trademark for the chili sauce in a few days. Before registering, at least the fact that Song Xiaohong sold fakes had to be spread, and then Qian's mother would make a batch of real chili sauce. Those who had bought fakes before could bring their bottles to exchange, which would also help spread Qian's mother's reputation and calm the fake chili sauce issue.

Of course, Qian's mother cannot bear this cost. Song Xiaohong will have to vomit out whatever she eats.

Song Xiaohong was completely stunned. After she reacted, she was angry and aggrieved: "I spent time and money to make the chili sauce! Those people spent money but didn't come to me. Why do they want me to give them an explanation?"

Qian Qing: "Because your business is built on the lies you tell. You say that the chili sauce is made by my mother, so people are willing to pay for it. Otherwise, with your craftsmanship, no one would want it even if you gave it away for free. You can say that the four and a half yuan you received is the money that others are willing to pay for the taste and reputation of the chili sauce made by my mother. These two have nothing to do with you. The chili sauce you worked so hard to make is a fake, a substitute, and you deserve to pay for your bad intentions."

Qian Qing's words were very harsh, like a slap in the face to Song Xiaohong, almost making her faint.

"Qian Qing!"

Qian Qing pretended not to hear, "You don't think we will just accept your fakes, do you? I've kindly decided to exchange the real stuff for the fakes you sold. You should return the money you took from them. They came here to buy the real stuff, but now you've made a fuss about it. I don't know if your fakes will hurt them. If I were you, I'd admit my mistake right away, so that you don't have to worry about it later. Then you'll not just lose money."

When Qian Qing mentioned this, Qian's mother also reacted, angrily: "That's right! The ingredients in the chili sauce you made were not processed properly. It will go bad in less than half a month. If you delay any longer and buy fake products and eat something wrong, it will have nothing to do with us."

A single stone stirs up a thousand waves. The crowd of onlookers originally thought that Qian Qing was a bit aggressive. After all, they were from the same compound. It would be fine if the matter was exposed. Anyway, Song Xiaohong's reputation had already fallen to the ground and could not be picked up. Why bother to hold on to this matter and insist on an explanation?

Now that Qian Qing said this, everyone suddenly realized what was going on. That's right, if something went wrong with the food Song Xiaohong sold, what would people do? It was clear whether to look for Song Xiaohong or Qian's mother, and no one could guarantee that the matter wouldn't go on forever, so it was reasonable for people to handle it this way.

Take back the fakes and replace them with real ones. So, Qian Qing is being reasonable!

Immediately, people from the same compound began to whisper.

"Qian Qing is right to handle this. After all, you don't even know you bought a fake product. What if you have a child at home and he gets sick from eating it?"

"This can be considered as covering up for Song Xiaohong. Otherwise, if something goes wrong with the food, Song Xiaohong won't be able to escape."

"Who will dare to buy food from her stall in the future? She has evil intentions. Who would dare to eat the food she makes?"

"That's not the case. She might just be possessed by a ghost for a while..."

"…I guess he is obsessed with money and is jealous of others who can make money."

…

Song Xiaohong didn't want to pay. Not to mention the long-term expenses, just making a hundred bottles of chili sauce today was exhausting enough for her. She had to fry chili peppers all day and cook them in front of the oil pan. She didn't dare to open the window because of the pungent smell of chili peppers, so she kept it in the house.

And the bottles of chili sauce and the buckets of oil, which one of them was not bought by her?

Why should she pay compensation just because Qian's mother said her chili sauce wouldn't last more than half a month?

Song Xiaohong was so angry that she sat on the ground, not caring about her face anymore, and yelled at the top of her voice: "I worked so hard to make this! I used good things, even if the taste is not as good, it is still good oil and ingredients! Why should I lose everything? You are just bullying me because I am from the countryside, isolating me and looking down on me. Huhuhu——"

Song Xiaohong's behavior was unheard of in the compound. They were all paid people, and they all valued face. Normally, they would rather suffer a little loss than lose face. For someone like Song Xiaohong, it was embarrassing enough to sell fake goods as real goods. Now that the truth was revealed, she started to make a fuss and act like a shrew.

She even used the excuse that she was from the country, and it was obvious that she was only interested in money and had no shame.

Qian Qing frowned when she heard this: "No one thinks you are from the countryside and will be bullied. A few decades ago, we all came from the mud and came here to build the oil field. It is you who have done things that make people look down on you. Don't blame others to escape the punishment you deserve. Today, whether it is you or not, I will say the same thing. Pay the money and exchange the goods."

Song Xiaohong was planning to continue to act like a spoiled brat, but at this moment a man emerged from the crowd and pulled Song Xiaohong up from the ground.

Song Xiaohong's man had beads of sweat on his head, and he kept bowing to Qian Qing and Zhou Hao to apologize: "I'm sorry, Brother Hao, I'll go back and send the money over now, and I'll have to trouble you to exchange the goods later."

Song Xiaohong's voice was so loud that she almost choked up: "How dare you——"

Song Xiaohong's husband blushed: "Do you think I dare? If you don't like it, go back to your parents' home!"

He was a man of few words. When he got married, because his mother was cowardly and his family was poor, his aunt introduced him to Song Xiaohong, a hot-tempered country girl who was said to be good at both housework and outside work.

Although Song Xiaohong has been a bit aggressive in the past few years, she is indeed a quick person as her aunt said. Although she is a bit harsh in her words, she is always efficient in her work.

Who knew she was so bold that she would dare to make counterfeit goods for others even though she was from the same compound!

Song Xiaohong's man wanted to slap her!

Why are you still being so stubborn at this time? Do you really think that the country life is going to work in the city? Didn't you see the looks of the people around you? He still has to work and his son has to go to school!

If things continue like this, how will their family survive in the compound?

"Comrade, my wife received a deposit of 100 yuan from you, right? Here is 100 yuan, please count it."

Song Xiaohong was dragged away by her man, and no one stayed behind to break the bottom line. The people around watched the whole process, all with a look of satisfaction on their faces as their gossip desires were satisfied. With this kind of thing, you can eat two or three more bowls of rice!

Qian Qing pulled Zhou Hao's sleeve and squeezed his palm. No wonder Zhou Hao was not around for a while just now. He must have gone to look for Song Xiaohong's man.

It’s better this way, otherwise who knows how long Song Xiaohong will keep making a fuss.

Zhou Hao was distracted by his wife's claw. Thinking about how his wife was killing people just now and now she was in such a good mood, he felt even more itchy in his heart.

"Song Xiaohong, what should we do with all this chili sauce?"

The things in these two big frames can’t just be left here forever.

Zhou Hao managed to calm himself down and said, "Send it to her home."

If her man had known better, he would have destroyed all these things.

Qian's mother had already been stopped by the customer with glasses and was talking to him on the other side.

This unlucky guest introduced himself: "My name is Lu Jiacheng, I'm from Shanghai, and I'm here to visit relatives in Y City."

Lu Jiacheng said he was a university teacher and his ancestral home was in Y City. Although he was not affected by the turmoil in the past few years, he cut off all ties with his hometown for safety reasons. It was only in recent years when the college entrance examination was resumed and the atmosphere changed that he began to interact with his hometown people.

This time he came back to sweep the grave of his deceased father. He happened to taste the chili sauce at a relative's house. Although he had not yet planned what to buy back, Lu Jiacheng thought of buying some chili sauce to give to others.

But he was afraid that his relatives would pay for him as soon as they heard about it, so he asked them from whom they bought it, and quietly went to the Oilfield Night Market to place an order, ready to pick it up before leaving.

I didn't expect that just buying chili sauce would lead to such a big incident. It's really ridiculous.

After hearing what he said, Qian's mother felt very sympathetic. She also heard him say with regret that she didn't know how much stock Qian's mother had now, and he planned to take some away.

Mother Qian thought for a while and said, "There really aren't many bottles left. How about this? Leave me your address and I'll send it to you when the time comes?"

This person seems to be well-off. Although the postage is a bit expensive, he should be able to afford it.

Lu Jiacheng didn't expect that there would be a ray of hope, and was very surprised: "Is it really possible?"

Qian's mother calculated the time and said, "It should be fine. I'll change the packaging for you and make it more secure. It will be shipped within three days."

Lu Jiacheng took out his wallet from his pocket and said, "Then I'll give you the money."

Qian Qing was convinced. No wonder this person was deceived. Maybe he had been in the ivory tower for too long, so he thought that people outside were all good people. He dared to give out hundreds of yuan without an intermediary, and he was not afraid of not receiving the goods.

Lu Jiacheng didn't care. Judging from the attitude of the family just now, he didn't have to worry about the other party not delivering the goods after receiving the money. They were even willing to replace the fake goods they sold with real ones. Their moral quality was not at the same level as the one just now!

While Qian's mother was collecting the money, Qian Qing asked curiously, "Why do you need so much chili sauce?"

No matter how many people you give as gifts, 100 bottles is too much! Even if you have many relatives and friends, they won't buy 100 bottles at once.

Lu Jiacheng's face was full of nostalgia: "I almost lost contact with my brothers and sisters a few years ago, and only got in touch with them in recent years. My sister is abroad, and my brother is in Hong Kong Island. Although transportation is well developed now, it is still not easy to travel back and forth. They often eat Western food outside, and often call me to say that Western food is tasteless, so I want to send them some chili sauce."

Qian Qing was happy for this unlucky guy. If Song Xiaohong's fake goods were sent out, Lu Jiacheng's brothers and sisters would probably have no liking for Chinese food anymore.

Lu Jiacheng also asked: "Can I call and place an order in the future?"

Qian Qing agreed readily, without any sign that she hadn't installed a phone yet: "Of course you can, but we're still installing the phone. You can write down our oil field phone number first, and we'll let you know when we have installed the phone."

Looks like we need to pull the phone line quickly.

However, the only house where she could install telephone lines now was the one in the shopping street; the stores at Wutong University and the oil field would have to wait for a while before they could be installed.

****

The story of the chili sauce eventually spread, and people in the oil field all talked about how Qian Qing had left Song Xiaohong speechless that night, and how delicious the chili sauce made by Qian's mother was.

"It's really delicious! I ate a piece of naan with chili sauce that night, and immediately bought a bottle the next day!"

"...Have you never tried the hot and sour noodles made by her family before?"

"no."

"You're at a loss, I knew the chili sauce was delicious then and I bought it a long time ago!"

…

Before Qian Qing could ask her mother what her future plans were for the chili sauce, Qian's mother came to Qian Qing and told her about it.

"…You mean you want to open a factory?"

Qian's mother said firmly, "Yes! We shouldn't call it opening a factory when we just started, but I think we should build a place and give it a name first."

Qian Qing even wanted to call her sister in the provincial capital to ask what kind of magic power this was and whether the factory addiction could be contagious.

“…It might be hard.”

This is what Qian Qing is most worried about. Qian's mother is in poor health and cannot bear physical labor like Qian's father can now. If she ruins her health in order to open a factory and make money, wouldn't that be a loss?

Mother Qian seemed to have thought it through and explained her plan clearly: "I don't need a big factory or many workers. I just need a few rooms and someone who can take care of things for me. Then I can separate the processes in the rooms and not worry about the formula leaking out. I won't have to go there all the time. I just need to go over there every day to keep an eye on it. I still have plenty of time and can also keep an eye on the canteen."

What Qian's mother wanted to build was more of a workshop than a factory, with less than ten people and no machines. She simply disassembled the processes and separated them, with different people in charge.

It may be busy at the beginning, but once things get on track, she won't need to keep an eye on it all the time.

"Who do you want to help you with?"

Does Qian's mother mean that a candidate has been chosen?

Qian's mother said directly: "I'm going to let your cousin's wife take care of it."

The eldest son of Uncle Ding, Ding Ming, is now running a restaurant at Wutong University with Uncle Ding Da and Uncle Ding Er. Ding Ming's wife, Qian Qing's cousin, is now raising the child at home. The child is young, just over a year old, and cannot be left alone.

Qian Qing wanted to find someone to help her run the store some time ago and considered her cousin's wife, but later gave up because she had to take care of the children.

Mother Qian didn't think that taking care of the child would affect her business: "Just take care of the child. Anyway, my main job here is to purchase and ship goods and settle accounts. I am responsible for the process. Your cousin's wife has received education and is a clear-minded person. She can take care of the child without delaying my purchase and settlement, right? If it is really not possible, let Ding Ming take care of the child. Anyway, when the restaurant is open, Ding Ming won't have to run around. The three old men will be studying at Wutong University. Why would they need to spend time taking care of a child?"

Qian Qing: …

That's true.

When the building of Wutong University is completed, the two floors will be ours. My uncles and their apprentices will be in the store, and there will be many shops opened by their apprentices outside. Maybe the kids can have more fun there.

From this point of view, her cousin's wife is not unable to spare the time.

Qian Qing nodded, and gave Qian's mother a suggestion: "Why don't we put the factory nearby? If it's too far away, it will be difficult for you to run away."

That is to say, the storefronts in the oil field are not allowed to be built into this kind of factory, otherwise it would be possible to just wait for the storefronts to be delivered.

But Qian's mother had her own ideas: "I've already made up my mind."

Qian Qing suddenly felt a sense of surprise, "Is this my mother? This can't be true."

"Is it settled?"

"Yes! There is no building there yet, it is just an empty lot. I plan to buy the land and build a factory myself."

The place that Qian's mother had her eyes on was outside the oil field, but not near the Y City side, but on the other side near the farmland. There was a vacant lot, and it was said that they had originally planned to build a station here, but later on, for some reason, it was not built, and the land has been vacant ever since.

This place is not too remote. There are some children in the oil field who like to play in the open space there. It is only a fifteen-minute bike ride away.

"The money I've made from selling chili sauce over the past six months should be enough for you, so don't worry."

Qian Qing: …

She lost. Her mother bought the land much more generously than she did. She even tried to test the price before buying it. Qian's mother said it should be enough without asking the price...

Zhou Hao, who was pretending to be a wallflower, suddenly interrupted: "Should we come up with a name first?"

Buying land and building a house would take at least three or four months, so the most urgent thing now is to decide on a name and get the trademark, so as to avoid the same thing as Song Xiaohong happening again.

Qian Qing thought that she could finally be useful. How could she not gather ideas from others when it came to naming?

As it turned out, Qian's mother was confident. She didn't say it, but her face showed "I've thought about it a long time ago."

“It’s called Hongjuan Chili Sauce.”

Qian Qing: …

Yes, Qian’s mother’s name is Ding Hongjuan, so we can just use her name.

Mother Qian's heart was filled with joy. Naming a product after herself and letting her creation enter thousands of households made her excited just thinking about it.